


Rescue

by Illiad_And_Oddity



Series: Rebuild [1]
Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel)
Genre: M/M, Nothing explicit, ViTri bad end fix, but all the nasty things implied by that bad end are there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-10 03:34:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3275180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illiad_And_Oddity/pseuds/Illiad_And_Oddity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Two people are standing in the doorway, and they are definitely not Virus and Trip.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rescue

I hear footsteps in the hallway and uncurl from my spot underneath the sheet. I crawl out and lay on top of it. I don’t want to. I would rather stay curled in a ball, hiding underneath the sheet like a kid hiding from monsters underneath the bed. But Virus and Trip are much, much worse than any monsters under the bed could be.

They’ve punished me for hiding before, so I don’t anymore. They hurt me over and over, violating and humiliating me, and punishing me if I don’t act grateful for it.

I’m not able to fake gratitude, but I’ve reached compliance. I know what’s expected of me, and I just do it now. It hurts less if I don’t fight.

Something catches my attention, floating to the forefront of my mind against the haze of pain and numbness.

The footsteps… don’t sound right.

I can recognize Virus or Trip by the sound of their gait coming down the hallway. It gives me a few minutes to prepare myself for whichever brand of torture I’ll experience today. Two sets of footsteps means they’re in a mood to play with me together, but what I’m hearing outside… doesn’t sound like either of them.

What does that mean? My heart starts to pound. Whatever it is can’t be good. Either someone else is outside the door right now, or they’ve found a new way to fuck with my head and I don’t know which option is worse.

“He’s in here!” The voice is directly outside my door and I freeze, as though they won’t be able to see me if I don’t move, but my heart is hammering so loudly I’m convinced they’ll be able to hear it from the hall. It’s an unfamiliar voice, and somewhere through my confusion and terror, I feel a faint ray of hope.

The door swings open and hits the wall with a crash that isn’t really that loud, but makes me flinch anyway. Two people are standing in the doorway, and they are definitely not Virus and Trip.

“Master!”

Clear?

“Aoba!”

… Koujaku?

He crosses the room to me in four steps, and stops dead when he reaches my bedside. This must be a dream. I haven’t dreamed about being rescued in… what must have been months. I barely dream at all anymore. I reach my hand out to him. My fingers are shaking.

He stares at me, his eyes filled with horror. I’m covered in bruises and cuts, there’s dried cum on my stomach and thighs, and I realize how disgusting I am. I’ve gotten so used to being covered in filth that I forgot about it, but Koujaku wouldn’t want to touch me now. I drop my hand as shame fills me.

“Master, we found you!” Clear’s gas mask is very close to my face, enough that I think I can almost make out his eyes behind the lenses. He touches one of the bruises on my shoulder, and I jump back. He looks sad, though I’m not sure how I can tell through his mask. “Are you hurt?” he asks.

Of course I’m hurt. Can’t he tell what’s happened to me?

“Clear, go check the exit,” Koujaku orders.

“Eh? But I want to —”

“We don’t know how long we have until they come back,” Koujaku says, his voice low and a little bit menacing. I haven’t heard Koujaku sound like that before, “I need you to warn me if they’re coming.”

“But…”

“Just go,” Koujaku sounds slightly choked now, “Please.”

Clear hesitates for a second longer, then leaves.

Koujaku moves, untying his obi and for a moment I feel panic rising – is Koujaku here to rape me, too? - but he shrugs out of his kimono and drapes it over my shoulders. It’s warm from his body heat, smells faintly of soap and cigarettes, and it’s covering up the filth on my skin.

“I’ll get it dirty,” I whisper.

“I don’t care,” Koujaku says, and ties the kimono closed. When he finishes, he hugs me tightly and I vaguely notice that he has a lot more tattoos and scars than I had realized.

“Aoba, I’m sorry,” he whispers, sounding on the verge of tears, “I’m so sorry. I should have found you a long time ago…”

“I’m not dreaming?” I ask. He’s… really here, isn’t he? I’m not dreaming. He’s here to save me.

“No, it’s not a dream,” Koujaku says, “We’re getting you out of here.”

I’d forgotten what hope felt like. I hug him back tightly and bury my face in his shoulder. Tears are starting to form in my eyes, and I can feel a sob in my throat.

“Aoba, I’m sorry, but we can’t do this right now. We have to go.” He stands up, pulling me with him. My feet are unsteady, but I get them underneath myself.

“Can you walk?”

I could turn cartwheels if it would get me out of here. I nod at him, and manage a smile which I know must be weak, but it’s the best I can do.

I hold on to Koujaku’s arm as we leave the room and head down the hall. I’m getting out. I’m being rescued. I still can’t quite believe it’s happening. I’m going to wake up any second and find it was a dream, or Virus or Trip will appear and reveal they set it all up just to mess with my head some more.

My heart is pounding so loud I can’t hear anything else. My chest feels tight and my legs tremble with every step, so much I almost can’t walk, but Koujaku is supporting me.

I stop moving, and Koujaku turns and says something that I can’t hear over the ringing in my ears. I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t go. They’ll find me. They’ll be angry. They’ll hurt me even more. I can’t leave.

My head throbs painfully and I gasp. My head hasn’t hurt like that since I arrived here. Is that… Scrap?

_Keep walking._

That voice… I haven’t heard it in so long. The pain subsides, taking the pounding of my heart with it, and I can hear again. Koujaku is looking at me with concern.

"Aoba? Are you alright?"

I nod and continue walking. Somewhere inside my head, I feel like something approves of me.

We turn a corner, and there’s an open door. It’s daytime outside, and the sunlight is blindingly bright even from here. I have to cover my eyes when we step out of the door.

Koujaku only gives me a moment to adjust before tugging me along. The alley we’ve emerged into could be any Midorijima back alley, except perhaps a little bit cleaner. I glance back at the door we exited from. It’s completely nondescript, giving no hint at what happened to me inside…

I have so many questions, but Koujaku is hurrying me along with too much urgency for me to even think of asking. He told Clear to keep watch for ‘them’. That could only be Virus and Trip, and the though sends chills down my spine again. They’re not going to just let me go. They’ll come back and find me gone and I know they’ll come looking for me.

Clear pops out of nowhere at the end of the alley and I yelp in shock.

"Koujaku-san, Master! I hear them."

"Damn it," Koujaku swears, "I’d hoped we would have more time."

He pushes me into Clear’s arms, “Get him out of here. I’ll deal with them.”

"Yes!" Clear agrees, and picks me up before I have any idea what he’s doing, "Master, I will protect you!"

He runs before I have any chance to protest. He’s fast – faster than I ever could have run, even without carrying someone. I don’t know where he’s taking me, and I feel panic start to rise in me again.

It doesn’t help when he stops cold in another alleyway, almost indistinguishable from the first. I look to see where we are, and I nearly scream.

Virus is blocking our path.

“Ah, so there _was_ more than one thief. We only knew about Koujaku-san," He might as well be discussing the weather. He doesn’t sound upset at all.

Clear puts me down and stands in front of me, arms spread wide. “I won’t let you hurt Master!”

Virus ignores him, and holds his hand out to me, “Aoba-san, let’s go back.”

I flinch, clinging tightly to Clear’s coat. I should obey. Maybe if I do what he tells me, my punishment won’t be so bad…

The sharp stab of a headache hurts almost enough to bring me to my knees. I stagger, but remain standing.

_I am not going back._

_I would rather die than go back._

For once, I agree completely with the voice of my other self. And I’m not sure if it’s him or me that stands up straight, lets go of Clear’s coat, and spits at Virus’s feet. He actually looks surprised, like he can’t figure out why I did that. Maybe he didn’t think I still had any fight in me. I didn’t think I did, either.

He takes a step towards us and I see myself move. Again, I’m not quite sure if it’s me or my other self that grabs the metal bar lying near my feet, but I think it’s both of us that swing it.

It connects with the side of his face. Virus collapses, and doesn’t move.

I hope I’ve killed him.

We stand there in silence for a few moments, then Clear reaches out to touch my shoulder. I drop the metal bar and cling to him.

“Master…”

I start screaming. I don’t stop for a long time.


End file.
